Issuing an impassioned clarion call to the Western world on the litany of existential dangers that radical Islam represents to America’s cherished democratic principles, author David Rubin’s meticulously researched monograph reveals that Islam is in actuality a political ideology predicated on a pernicious dogma, rather than the “religion of peace” that its proponents purport it to be.

“The Islamic Tsunami: Israel and America in the Age of Obama” (Shiloh Israel Press) is an exceptionally well documented treatise on the gamut of commonalities that are endemic to both Israel and America in terms of religion, politics and culture. Rubin calls on all free peoples, especially Americans, to take serious heed of the escalating dangers that Islam represents in terms of the perpetuation of bellicose actions bent on mass murder or the more insidious and subtle kind of aggression that is manifested by the potential silent incursion of Sharia law into American jurisprudence. He exhorts both Jews and Christians alike to carefully examine the Judeo-Christian value system that has bound them together for centuries and strongly suggests that they create concrete alliances in order to thwart the nefarious agenda of radical Islam; thus preserving “Western civilization” as we know it.

Rubin speaks with authority as he explains the Islamic concepts of dhimmitude (slave status for all “non-believers”), how the Koran metes out punitive measures against infidels, and outlines the ultimate goal of Islamic global dominance in the form of a Caliphate. Rubin is neither an alarmist nor he is suffering from paranoia and to his credit he does not posit himself as an abstract theoretician or a think-tank denizen. Having studied the Koran, the Bible, as well as plumbing the depths of resources on American history as it pertains to the views of the founding fathers and more recent events, Rubin’s book is replete with a plethora of highly enlightening quotes from these sources that help to state his case.

As a Brooklyn born American Orthodox Jew who now lives in Israel, he has first hand experience of the travails of Islamic terrorism as he ruefully recalls his victimization and that of his three-year old son, Ruby. In December of 2001 while driving home to Shiloh from Jerusalem, Rubin and his son were both injured in a terrorist attack carried out by Islamic militants. When Rubin arrived at the hospital he was told that he was “the hospital’s 1000th victim of terrorism” and recalls that he was later told by surgeon that, “the bullet which entered the head and traveled through the neck of my three-year old boy missed his brain stem by one millimeter.” Determined to assist other facing similar crises, Rubin founded the Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund, an organization dedicated to relieving the trauma suffered by child victims of terrorism.

Indeed, politics make for strange bedfellows. Under a sharpened lense, Rubin examines the nexus of ideas promoting multi-cultural and moral relativism as extolled by the ideologues on the far left of the political spectrum and those who would seek to vanquish any vestige of moral clarity, namely radical Islamists. Chiding President Obama for his own associations with left-wing radicals such as convicted terrorist Bill Ayres and his futile attempts to reach out “in peace” to the Muslim world, Rubin details the predominant Muslim influences in Obama’s background and his adamant denial of the very real threats that Islamists present to America, Europe and the free world.

While there is a virtual laundry list of hard hitting points that leap forth from the pages of this book, what really stands out is Rubin’s assertion that Obama’s Harvard law school education was financed by Saudi petro dollars. Says Rubin: “The tentacles of Islamic aggression reached their highest levels of American influence when it was revealed that Barack Obama’s higher education was likely financed and guided by the anti-American, anti-Israel alliance of secular leftsts and Islamic ideologues.” He qualifies this by saying that the radical American Muslim ideologue Khalid al-Mansour, (a.k.a. Donald Warden), a former mentor to Black Panthers founders Huey Newton and Bobby Seale was “raising money for Obama, apparently for his education, although the reason why al-Mansour would be raising money for a virtually unkown young student was not divulged.”

Rubin tackles the burgeoning phenomenon of Islamic dominance by encouraging the United States to tap into a treasure trove of timeless lessons for life. Quoting the Prophet Isaiah, he says that, “the Torah will go forth from Zion, thereby spreading its wisdom to the entire world. He asks the sublimely simple question: “What can the U.S. learn from the ongoing struggles between Israel and Islam?” Among other things, Rubin calls for the halt of immigration (both legal and illegal) from Islamic countries to the U.S. and suggests that that the U.S. require the emigration of actively hostile Muslims and those Islamists who are engaged in anti-American subversion. He also decries the passage of hate crime legislation which he says “will be used as a big brother technique to curtail the free speech of those who dare to speak out against Islamic ideology.”

Reminding us of the immortal words of Thomas Jefferson who said “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance” and Ronald Reagan who said, “At least let our children and our children’s children say of us that we justified our brief moment here; we did all that could be done”, Rubin leave us with a sense of optimism and hope as we prepare to gird our loins and defend our liberties and freedoms and our very lives from those who would obliterate us and them.

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Fern Sidman holds a B.A, in political science from Brooklyn College. She was the educational coordinator for the Betar Youth Movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She was national director of the Jewish Defense League from 1983-1985. She was a researcher for several books written by Rabbi Meir Kahane, ZTK”L. She was the managing editor of the publication entitled, The Voice of Judea, and is a regular contributor to its web site. She is currently a writer and journalist living in New York City. Her articles have appeared in The Jewish Press, The Jewish Advocate, The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, and numerous Jewish and general web sites including, Front Page Magazine, Daniel Pipes and Michael Freund.
We are delighted to have Ms. Sidman as a regular contributor to the Jesus is Lord, A Worshipping Christian’s Blog.

Zionist visionary and leader, Ze’ev Vladimir Jabotinsky, was remembered this past Sunday evening, December 19th, as hundreds of Israeli high school students from across the country gathered in the main auditorium of the Knesset building in Jerusalem for the award presentation to the 15 winners of the 2010 Ze’ev Jabotinsky National Essay Contest.

Sponsored by the American Friends of a Safe Israel (AFSI), and an Israeli group called Misdar Jabotinsky, the ceremonious event marked the 70th yahrzeit of the prescient Revisionist Zionist leader and founder of the Betar (Brit Trumpeldor) youth movement. A towering figure amongst pre-state Zionist leaders, Jabotinsky is known as a powerful and prolific statesman, writer, journalist and electrifying orator.

In stark contrast to his Socialist-Zionist contemporaries who encouraged Jews to fight for their civil rights within the countries of their origin, Jabotinsky was skeptical of this avenue of emancipation, proclaiming that salvation for Jews – both on a personal level and as a national entity – lay only in the re-settlement of the entire land of Israel. Jewish self-defense was at the epicenter of Jabotinsky’s socio-political philosophy, both as a physical imperative and as a wellspring of pride and self-confidence, capable of “ennobling” the Jewish spirit.

The essay contest covered five categories of Jabotinsky’s life, written works and political activities which included such headings as “The individual and the nation in Jabotinsky’s thought,” “Social reform according to Jabotinsky,” and “Jabotinsky, builder of Hebrew military power.” Offering first, second and third cash prizes, the essay contest was projected by AFSI as the first step in an extended campaign to stimulate interest in Zionist history both in Israel and beyond its borders. In the United States, AFSI plans to launch, “Zionism 101”, a filmed series of internet programs covering the 120-year history of the contemporary Zionist movement.

According to William Mehlman, the Jerusalem chairperson of AFSI and editor of their “Outlook” newsletter Jabotinsky’s link to Zionism’s heroic past was underscored in essay after essay on the saga of “Aliyah Bet,” his British blockade-busting enterprise that brought more than 100,000 European Jews to Palestine between 1936 and 1940; his World War I formation of the “Zion Mule Corps,” the first organized Jewish fighting force in 1,800 years, and his subsequent establishment of both the Haganah (which grew into the IDF) and the Irgun Z’vai Leumi (IZL), the underground resistance force that was instrumental in driving the British out of Palestine.

AFSI chairman Herbert Zweibon said the essay contest “marked the culmination of a 10-month effort to rekindle an intimate relationship with Zionism among Israeli youth, undermined by decades of high school teaching that made Zionist history and their attendant heroes hostage to universalist myths and ‘narratives,’ that smacked of blatant ant-Zionism.”

Former Member of Knesset Michael Kleiner, together with Emanuel Weiser of the Jabotinsky Order, spoke of Jabotinsky as a “revolutionary” in the most positive sense of the word.. “He revolted against the British occupation, against a Jewish establishment that seemed satisfied with a stateless Jewish status quo and while others remained silent, he marched across Europe in the 1930s imploring Jews to leave before it was too late.”

A polemical aspect surrounds the essay contest as well, due to a decision made by the Israeli Education Ministry in November of 2008 “to exclude the founder of the Revisionist movement in Zionism from the list of 100 personages studied at Israeli schools. Three years separated the passing of the Jabotinsky Law (2005) and erasure of his philosophy from local textbooks” as reported in Ha’Aretz newspaper. See link for further details: Jabotinsky’s been expelled – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News. The decison was then reversed by the Education Ministry as of early December of 2010 and according to Ha’Aretz the ministry is “actively supporting a privately-sponsored essay contest on Ze’ev (Vladimir) Jabotinsky and urging students to participate in it.”

The prizes to contest winners were presented by Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin. Describing Jabotinsky as Zionism’s most existentialist figure, Knesset Speaker Rivlin said he was “not just a thinker, but a doer.” In his remarks to the students, Education Minister Sa’ar, said that as a high school student in 1980 he took second prize in an essay contest commemorating the 40th anniversary of Jabotinsky’s passing and lauded his teachings as timeless.

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Fern Sidman holds a B.A, in political science from Brooklyn College. She was the educational coordinator for the Betar Youth Movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She was national director of the Jewish Defense League from 1983-1985. She was a researcher for several books written by Rabbi Meir Kahane, ZTK”L. She was the managing editor of the publication entitled, The Voice of Judea, and is a regular contributor to its web site. She is currently a writer and journalist living in New York City. Her articles have appeared in The Jewish Press, The Jewish Advocate, The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, and numerous Jewish and general web sites including, Front Page Magazine, Daniel Pipes and Michael Freund.
We are delighted to have Ms. Sidman as a regular contributor to the Jesus is Lord, A Worshipping Christian’s Blog.

An overflow crowd gathered in the cavernous lobby of the stately New York Surrogate Courthouse in lower Manhattan on Monday evening December 20th for a moving evening dedicated to the majestic heritage of the Jewish nation. Sponsored by the Agudath Israel, the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), the Met Council on Jewish Poverty and the UJA-Federation of New York, the Jewish Heritage celebration was the brainchild of New York City Comptroller John C. Liu, a native of Taiwan, who was the chief organizer of the event.

Among the dignitaries, elected officials and celebrities present at the event were German born Jewish psychologist and sex therapist, Dr. Ruth Westheimer. radio personality Nachum Segal, Helen Freedman, Executive Director of Americans For a Safe Israel (AFSI), New York State Assemblyman David Weprin, Consul General of Israel, Ido Aharoni, former New York City Councilman and current Deputy Comptroller for Budget and Accounting of the City of New York, Simcha Felder, Judith Shapiro of Jewish Heritage NY and NYS Assemblyman Michael Miller.

“I not only consider myself a friend to the Jewish community, but one who developed a true appreciation and understanding of the rich cultural and religious traditions of this timeless and eternal nation”, said Mr. Liu. In his introductory remarks, Mr. Liu mentioned that he had just returned from his second trip to Israel and found it to be “a most magnificent experience in every way” and extended his thanks to the Jewish Community Relations Council for sponsoring this trip and his previous trip which took place in 1999. “I was extremely honored to visit Israel for the first time, along with Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who had lived in Israel after World War II.”

Mr. Liu made reference to his participation in Chanukah menorah lighting ceremonies and his introduction to eating Hamantaschen on Purim. “Being a part of these traditions is very important to me and I salute the Jewish people for not only representing a beacon of light and hope to the world but for teaching the world the true meaning of freedom, democracy and liberty.”

Quoting the late David Ben Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel, Ido Aharoni, Consul General of Israel in New York, said, “Being a realist in Israel means that you must believe in miracles. Our very existence as a people since the dawn of time has been solely dependent of the mercy and compassion of the G-d of Israel and tonight we celebrate the heritage that we clung to and sacrificed for throughout the millennium.” Mr. Aharoni praised John Liu as being “a courageous bridge between Israel and New York City.”

Helen Freedman of the Americans For A Safe Israel said in an interview that, “It is wonderful to see so many supporters of Israel and the Jewish people gathered here tonight. As the nation of Israel faces the most difficult and challenging times, we are deeply indebted to people like John Liu and other non-Jewish friends and allies.”

Among those honored at Jewish Heritage of New York were Anna Rachmansky, the president of the Shorefront YMHA of Brighton Beach. Ms. Rachmansky arrived in the United States 30 years ago from the former Soviet Union and has dedicated her efforts towards creating a wide variety of social service programs that assist the Russian-Jewish community. She is also the chairperson of the Russian leadership division of the UJA-Federation on New York and recently delivered remarks at “The Wall Street Dinner”, a premiere UJA fundraising event. She also works closely with the Jewish Community Relations Council.

“We must never forget that there are those out there who struggle with hunger and poverty on a daily basis”, declared Alexander Rapaport, who was honored for operating soup kitchens in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn. With the invaluable assistance of the Met Council on Jewish Poverty, Mr Rapaport serves over 500 meals every day to those in need.

Praised for his work of saving Jewish lives 365 days a year through his work with Hatzolah, was honoree Rabbi David Cohen. Hatzolah, as an organization, is the largest volunteer ambulance service in the world. Chevra Hatzolah in New York has more than a thousand volunteer EMTs and paramedics who answer more than 250,000 calls each year with private vehicles and a fleet of more than 70 ambulances. Hatzolah members were among the first responders to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 and alongside other rescue workers, Hatzolah volunteers risked their lives to rescue, treat, and transport countless victims of the terrorist attack.In the process they earned great respect from their peers in the emergency service community.

Deborah Hes, the executive director of the Jewish Community Center of Washington Heights was honored for her diligent efforts in helping Russian Jews integrate into the complex network of the New York City community. Also being honored was Steven Goodman for his four decades of Jewish communal service through his work the YMHA system of programs that help the less fortunate.

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Fern Sidman holds a B.A, in political science from Brooklyn College. She was the educational coordinator for the Betar Youth Movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She was national director of the Jewish Defense League from 1983-1985. She was a researcher for several books written by Rabbi Meir Kahane, ZTK”L. She was the managing editor of the publication entitled, The Voice of Judea, and is a regular contributor to its web site. She is currently a writer and journalist living in New York City. Her articles have appeared in The Jewish Press, The Jewish Advocate, The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, and numerous Jewish and general web sites including, Front Page Magazine, Daniel Pipes and Michael Freund.
We are delighted to have Ms. Sidman as a regular contributor to the Jesus is Lord, A Worshipping Christian’s Blog.

12.25.10

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”Luke 2:1-7 (New International Version)

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
” ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'”

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”Matthew 2:1-12 (New International Version)

We hope that everyone has a very happy and safe Christmas. With the terrible winter storm hitting our nation, please be extra careful if you need to travel this year.
Merry Christmas and God Bless All of You!!
-Steve and Missi

12.21.10

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that he has no intention of sharing the holy city of Jerusalem with the Palestinians. This statement did not generate too many headlines, but I believe it is very significant in showing us where we are in Bible prophecy.

“And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it” (Zechariah 12:3).

The Palestinians’ claim to Jerusalem is based on a massive sham. Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital for three thousand years. There never was a Palestinian people, nation, language, culture, or religion. The archeological record points endlessly to a Jewish heritage for Jerusalem. If the Palestinians had any common sense, they would go pick some other city as their capital.

Since Netanyahu came to power nearly two years ago, he has accepted the principle of a Palestinian state next to Israel. There is growing indication that Netanyahu is beating the Arabs at their old game of repeatedly agreeing to something but never getting around to actually accomplishing the task.

The international pressure on Israel has been relentless. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has been pushing hard to get Israel to give on the core issues of Jerusalem’s status. In one recent speech, she urged both sides to reach a final agreement “without delay and with real specificity.” She pointedly called for compromise on the contested holy city, observing that “there will surely be no peace without an agreement” on Jerusalem—”the most sensitive of all the issues.”

Bible prophecy promises calamity for any nation that seeks to divide Jerusalem. I believe a key reason America’s economy has stumbled in recent years is the pressure we’ve been placing on Israel. Now that the Obama administration has decided to increase the pressure, I would expect to see greater trembling in the land.

Israelis have a good reason to stick with the status quo. A decade ago, the public lived in terror of being killed in a suicide bomber attack. After trying everything to combat the problem, the Israeli government was finally driven to the point of walling itself off from the Palestinians. Since the borders were sealed, there has not been a single terrorist attack in the past several years.

Another reason for Netanyahu to play coy with the Arabs is that it doesn’t have any land to give away that will not jeopardize Israel’s security. In the past, the Jews made the Arabs happy by giving them the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, a southern zone of Lebanon, and partial control of the West Bank. The Arabs always come back asking for more land.

The situation reminds me of story about a woman who was once chased by a grizzly bear. A human can only run half as fast as a bear, but the woman saved herself by taking off several items of clothing. Every time she dropped an item to the ground, the bear would momentarily pause before resuming the pursuit. At this point in the Middle East chase, Israel is down to its underwear, and instead of one bear there are about two dozen pursuing the Jewish state.

One of Satan’s key goals is to gain control of the city of Jerusalem. The devil certainly knows that his only chance of delaying events that will lead to his destruction is to capture Jerusalem and destroy the Jewish state. So far, Satan has edged closer to this goal by using peaceful means. Now that it looks like the Jews are not going to give up any more land, his next move will likely be war.

Prophecy teachers have long said that we are in the last days because our generation witnessed the rebirth of Israel. Perhaps it is time to say the Lord’s return is near because Jerusalem has now become the focal point of world attention.

“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:36).

12.17.10

Friday is the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tevet, a fast day on which Jews remember the siege of Jerusalem that preceded the destruction of the First Temple and the Babylonian exile. The siege is described in the Bible in the Book of Kings.

The day is also the time at which mourning prayers are said for Holocaust victims whose date of death is not known. Many religious Jews mourn the Holocaust on the 10th of Tevet rather than on the date chosen by the Israeli government in the Hebrew month of Nissan.

The tenth of Tevet is observed as a fast from morning until nightfall. It is the only day-long fast day that can fall on a Friday.

Another event that is mourned on the 10th of Tevet is the day on which King Ptolemy of Egypt forced Jewish scholars to translate the Hebrew Bible into Greek. Their translation was used by those who sought to assimilate Jews into Greek culture, and later formed the basis of the Christian Bible, which for many centuries was used to promote persecution of Jews.

Yet another is the death of Ezra the Scribe, who led Jews back to Israel from their exile in Babylon and directed the construction of the Second Temple.

12.16.10

On Tuesday evening December 14th, Helen Freedman, executive director of Americans For A Safe Israel (AFSI) addressed a most special gathering of pro-Israel supporters at an event sponsored by “ACT! For America” in Delray Beach, Florida. ACT! For America is a nationwide non-profit issues advocacy organization that dedicates itself to educating Americans on the existential threat that the burgeoning radical Islamist movement represents to their liberties and freedoms.

Founded by Brigitte Gabriel, a Lebanese-American journalist, author and activist who was forced out of her native Lebanon by Muslim militias during the internecine warfare that engulfed that country from 1975-1990, ACT For America engages in direct lobbying and grassroots activism in response to anti-American and anti-Israel media bias and “politically correct” apologists for radical Islam in the media, academia and politics.
Addressing over 100 people at the South County Civic Center in Delray Beach, Florida, Ms. Freedman was introduced by Alan Bergstein, a Jewish activist from Boca Raton who welcomed her and thanked her for “having the courage to speak out against those pernicious forces who seek the complete destruction of Israel and the Western world.”

Speaking on the “unmasking” of the controversial proposed mosque at Ground Zero in New York, Ms. Freedman intoned, “We strongly and unequivocally oppose the construction of a mosque at the very site that saw the heinous murder of 2,800 Americans at the hands of bloodthirsty jihadists bent on a crusade to obliterate the values and freedoms we enjoy in a democratic country. We demand a complete accounting of where the funds are coming from in connection with the building of this mosque, and thus far, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf has not been forthcoming. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has initiated a request for a congressional inquiry into funding activities of those organizations who have been consistently inveighing against the construction of the mosque, but she has remained mum when it comes to engaging in vigorous inquiry about Imam Rauf’s possible terrorist ties and whether Saudi Arabia is a benefactor in this project.”

Freedman also took issue with the current US administration’s posture toward Israel as it pertains to the peace-making initiative. “President Obama’s unyielding pressure on Israel to make territorial concessions in the name of a false peace with the Arabs feeds into the propaganda machine of anti-Israel apologists who would have us believe that the obstacle to peace in the Middle East are Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria, when in fact, nothing could be further from the truth. When will we begin to demand that the Palestinian Authority and the entire Muslim world recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state?”

Citing the unabashed opprobrium that has been cast upon Israel through the global campaign of delegitimization in the spheres of academia, the media and government, Freedman suggested that Jews take a more aggressive stance in defending their rights to Israel. “We have to stop adopting the psyche of the abused and the guilt ridden. We must cease the self-inflicted torture of incessantly assigning blame to ourselves for not conceding enough, not appeasing enough, not negotiating enough. The time is long overdue for us to stop being defendants and start being accusers. We must state to the entire world in very clear, bold and unequivocal terms that our sole legitimate right to the land of Israel does not emanate from the United Nations, the United States or the European Union but our right to Israel comes directly from G-d as stated in our holy Torah. That is our only authentic claim to the Iand and we must tell those who wish to violently seize our land that it is they who are the occupiers and the thieves.”

A lively question and answer session followed Ms. Freedman’s address in which she spoke of the tendentious climate that Israel finds herself in due to the repercussions of the agenda of the liberal, left-wing media. “All we need to do is pick up The New York Times and realize that Israel is facing a media lynch mob. Flagrant mendacity and outright fraud has replaced true and accurate reporting. That was clearly evidenced in Karl Vick’s cover story in Time Magazine, “Why Israel Doesn’t Care About Peace”. No matter how many efforts we make in the name of peace, no many how many Jews we remove from their rightful homes in order to ensure a longstanding peace, we will still be viewed as intransigent at best and racist, occupiers at worst.”

Ms. Freedman concluded by quoting the late Rabbi Meir Kahane. “Let us not fear the world. It is infinitely better to have a Jewish state that is hated by the whole world, than an Auschwitz that brings us love and sympathy. If we want the world’s love, we must know that we will never get it unless we earn their respect. And how do you earn respect? By having self-respect and standing up for our G-d given rights.”

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Fern Sidman holds a B.A, in political science from Brooklyn College. She was the educational coordinator for the Betar Youth Movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She was national director of the Jewish Defense League from 1983-1985. She was a researcher for several books written by Rabbi Meir Kahane, ZTK”L. She was the managing editor of the publication entitled, The Voice of Judea, and is a regular contributor to its web site. She is currently a writer and journalist living in New York City. Her articles have appeared in The Jewish Press, The Jewish Advocate, The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, and numerous Jewish and general web sites including, Front Page Magazine, Daniel Pipes and Michael Freund.
We are delighted to have Ms. Sidman as a regular contributor to the Jesus is Lord, A Worshipping Christian’s Blog.

It’s good to know that a majority of Congress people are not yet Jew and Israel haters. They actually listen to the majority of Americans who either hold a deep love of God’s Chosen People, the Jew, and their God given country, Israel, or at least realize what a good ally in the Middle East they are.

The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a motion opposing a move being promoted by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, for recognition of a state within the 1967 borders without Israel’s agreement.

The decision, which was reached by general consensus rather than a vote among house members, states that the US would not recognize a unilaterally declared Palestinian state and would veto any resolution for recognition brought forward in the UN Security Council without an agreement between the two sides.

The Chairman of the House’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Howard Berman, initiated the decision. The precise wording states that the US “reaffirms its strong support for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“The US reaffirms strong opposition to any attempt to establish or seek recognition of a Palestinian state outside of an agreement negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians,” the motion says, also stating that “real and lasting peace could only be achieved through direct negotiations between the two sides”.

The house mentioned that Palestinian leaders were threatening to make a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state and were requesting recognition from the UN and other international forums.

“On November 24 2010 Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas wrote to the Brazilian President requesting that she recognize a Palestinian state, hoping that his actions would encourage other countries to recognize a Palestinian state.”

Following the request, Brazil Argentina and Uruguay recognized a state within the 1967 borders. Berman’s decision includes a call on the government to lead diplomatic efforts to convince other countries to oppose such moves.

The house also called on the Palestinian leadership to cease all efforts at circumventing the negotiation process, including efforts to gain recognition of a Palestinian state.

It also calls on Abbas to resume direct negotiations with Israel immediately and expresses support for the Obama Administration’s opposition to a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state.

12.15.10

I am very alarmed by a trend I see taking place in America. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t read of some new plan by the government to take greater control of our lives.

A few weeks back, I reported on the Transportation Security Administration’s new rules that require the flying public to either pass through body-scanning machines that show a naked image of themselves to a TSA agent or endure a physical pat-down that would qualify as sexual groping. I must live in a nation of exhibitionists, because it appears that people are willing to tolerate this massive invasion of personal privacy.

Thomas Jefferson is credited for coining the motto, “The best government is that which governs least.” He said this because he knew what would happen if there were no check of the power of government: Instead of the government being here to serve us, we would be here to serve it.

Here are just a few examples of the power grabs that have made headlines just this year:

Starting in 2011, all U.S. payment providers will be required by the IRS to file a report on all merchants who receive over $20,000 in gross sales volume and two hundred payments or more.

The FBI is now tracking credit card transactions of individuals under investigation; these subpoenas are known as “HotWatch” orders. The FBI claims to have the authority to do this, but is not backing up the claims with any act of Congress or any ruling by the courts.

Coin dealers are required to track and report all purchases of gold and silver that exceed $600 during a calendar year.

Anyone with $10,000 in assets in a foreign country is required to let the government know of those holdings.

The Feds have seized dozens of Internet domain names. The websites were nabbed for enabling copyright infringement or selling counterfeits of trademarked goods. The troubling part is that government agencies are now able to confiscate domains without warning.

Democratic FCC Commissioner Michael Copps proposed that the government create new regulations to promote diversity in news programming. In a speech, he suggested that broadcasters be subject to a new “public values test” every four years.

The branch of government that has me the most concerned is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It was created as a direct result of the 9/11 attacks. Rather than focusing on protecting our borders, this agency has developed a severe case of mission creep.

I found it spooky to read that the DHS head, Janet Napolitano, is hooking up with Wal-Mart. She is bringing the agency’s “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign to hundreds of Wal-Mart stores across the country. In a video message, the secretary asks Wal-Mart shoppers to contact local law enforcement if they see suspicious activity. What we have here is the genesis of what has been the bedrock of most communist governments–neighbor spying on neighbor.

The DHS seems to be following the same path that led to the rise of Adolf Hitler’s SS. The original purpose of the SS was to act solely as Hitler’s personal bodyguards. From its small beginnings, this outfit grew into a monstrosity. By the end of World War II, the SS had over a million members, and it was responsible for three-fourths of the war crimes committed by the Nazis.

I’m wondering where all the Christian conspiracy folks who were in such great abundance in the 1980s and 1990s are now. These encroachments on our freedom should be their bread and butter. I went to look at the site of a gentleman who was very active a decade ago in warning against Big Brother, and to my surprise, I found his domain to be in a state of neglect. The watchmen seem to have abandoned their post, so the devil is allowed to operate freely.

I’m still mystified over how all these new rules can flourish without a major crisis as a catalyst. As this stuff is going on, I’m asking myself, “Didn’t the Republicans just win back the House?” It chills me to think what would happen if we suffered a major economic collapse–an event that could occur at any moment.

We know from Bible prophecy that much of the world will come under dictatorial rule. It is my prayer that the U.S. be the last to see freedom overrun. Unless we as Christians are willing to stand against the tide of government intrusion, we will find ourselves living in a nation we don’t recognize.

12.14.10

On March 1, 1973, former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir met with President Richard Nixon and his then Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger. At this meeting Meir pleaded with the U.S. president and Kissinger to apply pressure on the Soviet Union to release its Jews. Little did Meir know that her words were not only being summarily dismissed by these two world leaders but that the meeting was being secretly taped by Nixon, who possessed a vitriolic hatred towards Jews and other minorities.

Twenty-seven years later, these never before heard tapes from the Nixon Library have now been released and the New York Times has now reported that Kissinger displayed a callous indifference towards a possible Soviet inspired genocide against the Jews. “The emigration of Jews from the Soviet Union is not an objective of American foreign policy,” says Kissinger, adding that, “If they put Jews into gas chambers in the Soviet Union, it is not an American concern. Maybe a humanitarian concern.” Nixon then replies: “I know. We can’t blow up the world because of it.”

After congressional investigations revealed that Nixon surreptitiously recorded his White House conversations, the tapes became government property and have been released in intervals over the years.

The American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants in a statement called for an apology from Kissinger, who is still consulted by Democratic and Republican administrations and by Congress on matters of state. “Henry Kissinger’s comments are morally grotesque and represent a disgraceful perversion of American values,” said the statement. “He owes an apology to all victims of the Nazi Holocaust.”

Born in 1923 in the Weimar Republic to a family of German Jews, Kissinger and his parents fled the Nazi persecution in 1938 and settled in the Washington Heights section of New York, which was home to a predominantly German-Jewish community. During World War II, Kissinger joined the U.S. Army and was assigned to the military intelligence section of the 84th Infantry Division where he saw combat and even volunteered for hazardous intelligence duties during the Battle of the Bulge. During the American advance into Germany, Kissinger was assigned detail to eradicate the Nazi presence from the city of Krefeld, owing to a lack of German speakers on the division’s intelligence staff. Kissinger relied on his knowledge of German society to remove the obvious Nazis and restore a working civilian administration; a task he accomplished in 8 days. Kissinger was then reassigned to the Counter Intelligence Corps, and was given charge of a team in Hanover assigned to tracking down Gestapo officers and other saboteurs, for which he was awarded the Bronze Star.

Despite his military record, Kissinger went on to become one of the most controversial and enigmatic political figures of the 20th century. During the Yom Kippur war of 1973, Kissinger advised Nixon to delay a crucial arms airlift to Israel in order to get the Egyptians to the peace table. Nixon cited Israel’s urgent need and on October 12,1973 proceeded with the largest military airlift in history to aid Israel, thus rejecting Kissinger’s advice. According to notes taken by then White House Chief of Staff, H.R. Haldeman, Nixon “ordered his aides to exclude all Jewish-Americans from policy-making on Israel,” including Kissinger. One note quotes Nixon as saying “get Kissinger out of the play — have Haig handle it.”

After negotiating the end of the Yom Kippur war, Kissinger placed an exorbitant amount of pressure on Israel to cede parts of the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula in order to foster an improved relationship with Egypt. Since that time, Kissinger has been classified as “a self-hating Jew”, a “treacherous traitor to his people” and an “apologist for anti-Israel and anti-Jewish concerns.”

According to a 2007 report by The New York Times citing newly released documents, Israel’s alleged possession of nuclear weapons and its potential to set off an arms race in the Middle East were a source of concern to the Nixon administration in 1969. “The Israelis, who are one of the few peoples whose survival is genuinely threatened, are probably more likely than almost any other country to actually use their nuclear weapons,” warned Kissinger, who then served as President Richard Nixon’s national security adviser, in a July 19, 1969 memorandum.

The memorandum also saw Kissinger excoriating Israel for purportedly stealing U.S. nuclear secrets. “This is one program on which the Israelis have persistently deceived us,” Kissinger wrote, “and may even have stolen from us. There is circumstantial evidence that some fissionable material available for Israel’s weapons development was illegally obtained from the United States about 1965,” Kissinger wrote, dismissing inspections as a possible solution since, “we could never cover all conceivable Israeli hiding places.”

Kissinger even suggested possibly withholding the sale of Phantom fighter jets to Israel as a way of compelling Jerusalem to yield on the nuclear issue, the Times said. “Israel will not take us seriously on the nuclear issue unless they believe we are prepared to withhold something they very much need,” Kissinger wrote. “On the other hand, if we withhold the Phantoms and they make this fact public in the United States, enormous political pressure will be mounted on us,” the former national security adviser wrote. “We will be in an indefensible position if we cannot state why we are withholding the planes. Yet if we explain our position publicly, we will be the ones to make Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons public with all the international consequences this entails.”

The Nixon tapes also reveal the scope and magnitude of Nixon’s own prejudices towards minorities and particularly Jews. “The Jews have certain traits,” Nixon said. “The Irish have certain — for example, the Irish can’t drink. What you always have to remember with the Irish is they get mean. Virtually every Irish I’ve known gets mean when he drinks. Particularly the real Irish.” Nixon continued: “The Italians, of course, those people course don’t have their heads screwed on tight. They are wonderful people, but,” and his voice trailed off. A moment later, Nixon returned to Jews: “The Jews are just a very aggressive and abrasive and obnoxious personality.”

The New York Times reported that in a taped conversation with his personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, Nixon laid down clear rules about who would be permitted to attend the state dinner that the White House was planning for Golda Meir. Nixon called it “the Jewish dinner”, after learning that the White House was being besieged with requests to attend. “I don’t want any Jew at that dinner who didn’t support us in that campaign,” he said. “Is that clear? No Jew who did not support us.” Nixon listed many of his top Jewish advisers, among them, Mr. Kissinger and William Safire, who went on to become a columnist at The New York Times and argued that they shared a common trait of needing to compensate for an inferiority complex. “What it is, is it’s the insecurity,” Nixon said. “It’s the latent insecurity. Most Jewish people are insecure. And that’s why they have to prove things.”

Nixon also declared his reluctance to even consider amnesty for young Americans who went to Canada to avoid being drafted during the Vietnam War when so many of them were Jewish. “I didn’t notice many Jewish names coming back from Vietnam on any of those lists; I don’t know how the hell they avoid it,” Nixon said, adding: “If you look at the Canadian-Swedish contingent, they were very disproportionately Jewish. The deserters.”

Timothy Naftali, the executive director of the executive director of the Nixon Library said that there were now only 400 hours of tapes left to released, and that those would cover the final months before the tape system was shut down in July 1973 after Alexander Butterfield, who was a deputy assistant to Nixon, confirmed its existence to the Watergate committee. Mr. Naftali said that by 2012, he intended to have those tapes, now being recorded on to CDs available for listening online at the Nixon Library’s web site.

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Fern Sidman holds a B.A, in political science from Brooklyn College. She was the educational coordinator for the Betar Youth Movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She was national director of the Jewish Defense League from 1983-1985. She was a researcher for several books written by Rabbi Meir Kahane, ZTK”L. She was the managing editor of the publication entitled, The Voice of Judea, and is a regular contributor to its web site. She is currently a writer and journalist living in New York City. Her articles have appeared in The Jewish Press, The Jewish Advocate, The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, and numerous Jewish and general web sites including, Front Page Magazine, Daniel Pipes and Michael Freund.
We are delighted to have Ms. Sidman as a regular contributor to the Jesus is Lord, A Worshipping Christian’s Blog.

12.13.10

Bible Story Murals has a new look. Mr. Doug Westbrook, the artist and founder, has completely redesigned the website for ease of use and a better browsing experience.

See Mr. Westbrook’s Bible Story Murals here.
If your church is looking for a unique way to bring the Word of God to it’s children and young people, take a look at Doug Westbrook’s Bible Story Murals. Each wall sized mural is based on the hand painted originals Mr. Westbrook created at Central Baptist Church in Houston, Texas and represents a different well known Bible story.

A Virginia federal judge is expected to rule Monday on whether the Obama administration’s health law violates the Constitution, opening a new stage in the administration’s defense of its biggest legislative achievement.

The ruling by District Judge Henry E. Hudson is perhaps the most significant so far among a slew of state-based legal challenges to the law, which also faces attack by newly resurgent Republicans in Congress. More than 20 federal lawsuits have been filed against the health overhaul since President Barack Obama signed it in March.

While the cases differ somewhat, they largely rest on the argument that Congress lacks constitutional authority to require most Americans to carry health insurance or pay a fee. The Obama administration counters that three clauses of the Constitution gave Congress the power to put the requirement, known as the individual mandate, in the law as part of regulating how people pay for health care.

The Virginia challenge is led by that state’s attorney general, Republican Ken Cuccinelli. Separately, U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson in Pensacola, Fla., on Thursday will hear arguments in a challenge brought by officials in 20 states. He could offer the clearest indication yet of how he will rule.

Supporters of the law are bracing for defeats in Virginia and in Florida. Judges Hudson and Vinson have both shown sympathy to the plaintiffs’ arguments and are GOP appointees.

Two other federal judges, in separate lawsuits in Michigan and Virginia, have already ruled in the administration’s favor on the individual-mandate question. Those cases, along with the other federal cases challenging the law, have a narrower base of plaintiffs than the suits brought in Florida and before Judge Hudson in Virginia.

Even if judges rule the individual mandate unconstitutional, it isn’t likely to stop the law from being carried out for now. Plaintiffs in the Virginia and Florida cases have asked the judges for an injunction to halt the law’s implementation nationwide. But people close to the plaintiffs concede the federal courts are likely to leave the law in place while the challenges go on. Both sides expect the matter to end up at the Supreme Court.

The individual mandate doesn’t take effect until 2014, so courts are less likely to see the need for a quick injunction.

12.10.10

There is every indication that Europe is entering a more severe phase of its sovereign debt woes. A new crisis is unfolding despite Herculean efforts by the European Union, the International Monetary Fund, and the U.S. Federal Reserve.

In May, Eurozone members and the IMF gave Greece a $143 billion bailout. Last month, Ireland was given a $113 lifeline to mostly cover losses from its two largest banks. The market now fears that Portugal, Spain, Italy, Belgium, and the UK will need rescue packages to cover their debts.

The EU has already created a $700 billion rescue fund for all debt problems, so a bailout of Portugal can be managed. Spain is the nation that has analysts and investors worried. It has the fourth-largest economy in the EU, and it would need at least a $500 billion bailout. Of course, this would require Europeans to revise their rescue fund.

The lockup of the debt market may force the EU to act. Spanish banks will need to refinance about $111 billion in debt next year, and money managers have suddenly lost their appetite for bank debt. In November, Spain’s financial companies sold $390 million of bonds in Europe. This compares with $3.08 billion in the same period a year earlier.

Bailing out an EU member is no guarantee that it won’t later get back in line for another handout. Greece, which the authorities thought was largely cured, has suffered a relapse. Its economy is in freefall, and the debt-to-GDP ratio was increased from 11 to 13 percent. The default swaps–insurance-like contracts for bonds–are now double what they were before the nation’s first bailout.

All these bailouts may eventually put Germany at risk of default. The Germans are the most industrialized members of the EU, and they are rapidly growing tired of having to help finance a rescue plan for another one of their deadbeat neighbors every few months.

Last week, a new law forced the Federal Reserve to admit that it had loaned out a vast amount of money to European Banks. In total, the Fed had promised that equaled a staging $9 trillion. Many on Wall Street were impressed that the Fed was able to write hot checks for such a large amount, but it meant that the Fed was forced to make a life-or-death gamble with the world’s financial system. If we suffer round two, Fed chief will Ben Bernanke will probably make another all-or-nothing gamble.

One of the best barometers of our ability to contain the sovereign debt bubble is the performance of U.S. ten-year bond. Because the dollar is the world reserve currency, international traders run to the ten-year note during times of trouble. They typically bid up the price and drive down the yield.

In the past few weeks, the ten-year has lost some of its safe haven role. Despite the Federal Reserve continuing plan to buy $100 billion of bonds each month, rates have still been rising. When word slipped out that Uncle Sam might be asked to chip into a larger IMF bailout fund for Europe, the ten-year plunged in value.

The rate on the ten-year is now above 3 percent, and economists are very worried about it going any higher. Because the U.S. has such a massive debt, we need to maintain low interest rates. If rates rose to 5 percent, it would double the size of our interest payment, which would result in a $2 trillion annual deficit. If rates went to 8 percent, we would have a $3-trillion-dollar shortfall.

The debt-domino nations will certainly continue to fall. The question here is what impact they will have on Bible prophecy. As the situation becomes unmanageable, we may see several nations get kicked out of or leave the EU. Since there are currently twenty-seven member states, a major realignment would need to occur to reach the ten members predicted by Daniel and John the revelator.

“And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast” (Revelation 17:12-13).

12.09.10

“The right of the Jewish people to their homeland is with G-d”, declared Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas Governor and FOX News Channel TV host, as he delivered an impassioned address at the 28th annual Bet El dinner, held Sunday evening, December 5th at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan.

While political insiders are suggesting that Governor Huckabee will throw his hat in the ring as a potential GOP candidate for the presidency in 2012, the Governor stopped short of doing so. “I’m not ready to announce my candidacy for president just yet”, he said. Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist minister, musician and public speaker, ran a close second to Arizona Senator John McCain as the Republican nominee for president in 2008.

Introducing Governor Huckabee was Dr. Joseph Frager, renowned Jewish philanthropist and 2010 recipient of the Bet El “Shomer Yisroel” Award, who gave his endorsement of the former governor by saying, “Mike Huckabee is the best friend that Israel has today and I say that without hyperbole. He is the only candidate who did not espouse a two state solution as a means of achieving peace in the region. He has gone on record continually and unequivocally as stating that the Jewish rights to Israel include all of Judea and Samaria and to all of Jerusalem. He has called for the United States Embassy to be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thus acknowledging U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the eternal, undivided capitol of Israel.” Dr. Frager added that, “He will make the best president that we ever had.”

Referring to Israel as a “magnificent and wonderful land”, Governor Huckabee recalled his 2009 trip to Israel in which he traveled with Dr. Frager and members of the Jerusalem Reclamation Project. “I have been extraordinarily blessed to have visited Israel with Joe Frager, his wife Karen, my dear friend Dr. Paul Brody who initiated the trip and Assemblyman Dov Hikind and his wife Shani. These people and those who are here tonight to support Yeshiva Bet El, are those who define courage, dedication and sacrifice.”

Taking issue with the Obama administration’s demand that Israel impose a freeze on settlement construction in Judea, Samaria and parts of Jerusalem in order to re-start peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, Governor Huckabee said, “To apply pressure on Israel in order to enact a freeze on settlement construction is counter-intuitive to what this is all about. It makes no sense for Israel to place herself in existential danger by freezing the building of settlements when she is dealing with an avowed enemy. The Palestinians must declare that Israel has a right to exist and that Jerusalem is the Jewish capital.” Huckabee added that, “in my view, we should encourage Israel to accelerate the building of homes and communities and place even more Jews there.”

Governor Huckabee prodigiously addressed the Iranian nuclear arms threat and called on the United States to recognize Israel as a “stabilizing ally in that region”. His speech was peppered with several oblique references to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as he intoned, “There are madmen out there with intention to destroy both Israel, America and the entire western world. Without equivocation and without apology we must stand behind Israel and support Israel against the very real threat of such maniacal madmen.”

Governor Huckabee’s speech was met with thunderous applause from over 1500 attendees who gathered for this much anticipated annual gala event. Billed as a place where, “Jewish history began and where Jewish life continues to thrive” Bet El is a vibrant settlement situated on the once barren hills guarding the northern approaches to Jerusalem and has come to be renowned as a shining paradigm of a community predicated on Torah true values. The idealistic men, women and children of Bet El serve as the stalwart vanguard of the settlement and are considered to be courageous pioneers in strengthening the inherent Jewish roots in Judea and Samaria. Through their Herculean efforts, they have also succeeded in creating a dynamic and highly influential yeshiva and educational center. Bet El is also the very place where breaking news from Israel is published on a daily basis, as it is the home of the Arutz Sheva (Israel National News) web site.

Mr. Eugen Gluck, Chairman of the Board of the American Friends of Bet El, welcomed the overflowing crowd by saying, “During this holiday of Chanukah we honor and remember the glorious legacy of the Maccabees of old and also pay tribute to the commitment and selfless dedication of those who live in Bet El and those who selflessly support this radiant Makom Torah.”

A special video presentation also highlighted the evening as such luminaries as Minister of Knesset Yaakov “Ketzaleh” Katz, who was also honored with the lighting of the menorah at the dinner, and esteemed Torah scholar and Rosh Yeshiva of Bet El, Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed were featured as pivotal figures in the burgeoning expansion of Bet El.

The recipients of the auspicious 2010 Bet El awards included a panoply of dedicated Jewish activists and leaders in their respective communities. Dr. Joseph and Karen Frager received the Shomer Yisrael Award for their commitment to the residents of Bet El and Eretz Yisrael as well as innumerable Jewish communal causes. Dr. Frager is best known as the Chairman of the Board of the internationally acclaimed Jerusalem Reclamation Project which has changed the face of the old city of Jerusalem over the past 31 years.

Dr. Jeffrey and Esther Weber were honored with the Shomer Bet El award for their “ardent support of Israeli and local Jewish causes.” Dr. Weber serves on the executive board of the Merkaz Yisroel Marine Park Jewish Center in Brooklyn, NY and his connection to Bet El dates back to 1992. The Weber home often hosts staff members from the Bet El yeshiva traveling in the New York area.

The distinguished Keter Torah Award was presented to Dr. Joshua and Shifra Fox, residents of Lawrence, New York where they have achieved an outstanding reputation for their chesed and ahavas yisroel and are widely acknowledged by many Torah institutions throughout the United States. Dr. Fox has served as President of Congregation Shaarey Tefilla and is on the board of directors of the Torah Academy for Girls, the Jewish Heritage Center, Yeshiva Darchei Torah and the Yeshiva of Far Rockaway.

The guest of honor at this year’s Bet El dinner were Rabbi Dr. Richard and Sandy Weiss of Hillcrest, Queens. Rabbi Weiss holds the pulpit at the Young Israel of Hillcrest and is an assistant professor of biology at Stern College for Women. The Weiss’ were lauded for being “ardent advocates of Israel and the community of Bet El.” After visiting Bet El on his last mission, Dr. Weiss remarked that “the people of Bet El are modern day pioneers who have established a blossoming town right next to Ramallah, where Yassir Arafat based his reign of terror.”

Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish organizations delivered a stirring address as he called on the audience and the nation of Israel to become a “B’nai Bina” (a people who understands). “We don’t want to see the realities in our midst and we must understand the challenges of our time. We must see beyond the moment and focus on the broader picture. Just as our father Abraham stopped before ascending the Har HaMoriah with his beloved son Yitzchak, his son Yishmael and his servant Eliezer, he asked them what they saw and it was only Yitzchak who said that he saw a glorious mountain. It was then that Abraham decided to leave Yishmael and Eliezer behind because of their myopic ideological vision and take only Yitzchak up to the mountain.”

He added that, “Chanukah is not about the past but its about our future and Bet El is not about our past and is inextricably tied to our future. We must boldly declare the Jewish claim to the Kotel Hamaravi and to the Har HaBayit. Our history and our future is forged in thousands of years of Jewish sacrifice and Jewish blood, sweat and tears and we must stand strong and rise to the challenges presented to us by those who seek to jettison the Jewish claim to Jerusalem and all of Israel.”

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Fern Sidman holds a B.A, in political science from Brooklyn College. She was the educational coordinator for the Betar Youth Movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She was national director of the Jewish Defense League from 1983-1985. She was a researcher for several books written by Rabbi Meir Kahane, ZTK”L. She was the managing editor of the publication entitled, The Voice of Judea, and is a regular contributor to its web site. She is currently a writer and journalist living in New York City. Her articles have appeared in The Jewish Press, The Jewish Advocate, The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, and numerous Jewish and general web sites including, Front Page Magazine, Daniel Pipes and Michael Freund.
We are delighted to have Ms. Sidman as a regular contributor to the Jesus is Lord, A Worshipping Christian’s Blog.

12.08.10

Several hundred people gathered at The Helmsley Park Lane Hotel in Manhattan on Thursday evening, December 2nd, to honor Jonathan Lippman, the Chief Judge of the State of New York and the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals at the 2010 Pursuit of Justice Awards dinner, sponsored by the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists.

Founded in 1983 as the national affiliate of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, the AAJLJ represents the American Jewish legal community through its courageous work in safeguarding the civil and human rights of Jews and others in the U.S. and abroad. The AAJLJ fulfills its mission through the establishment of multifarious programs which include the sponsorship of regular events featuring speakers and discussions on topical legal issues, the promotion of the study of Jewish law and ethics through law school courses, seminars and publications, assisting the IAJLJ in utilizing its official international status as a United Nations Non-governmental Organization (NGO) to provide diplomatic and legal assistance to Jews around the world, its publication of the AAJLJ newsletter designed to keep members abreast of the Association’s activities and topical legal subjects, and through organizing law oriented missions to Israel.

Moreover, the AAJLJ participates in triennial world Jewish legal congresses in Jerusalem and in annual congresses abroad and conducts special Jewish content continuing legal education and other programs including special events at annual American Bar Association meetings. Stephen Greenwald, the president of the AAJLJ described his organization as a “stand alone advocacy group dedicated to defending Israel in the court of public opinion and challenging manifestations of intolerance.”

Introducing the 2010 Pursuit of Justice awardee, Mr. Greenwald said of Jonathan Lippman, “he exemplifies and personifies the very best among us and is part of a seasoned and august group of judicial practitioners”.
Born on the lower east side of Manhattan in 1945, Jonathan Lippman was appointed Chief Judge of the State of New York by Governor David A. Patterson in January of 2009 and was confirmed by the New York State Senate in February of 2009. His career in the court system has spanned four decades. Starting as an entry level court attorney in the Supreme Court in Manhattan, Judge Lippman worked his way up the ladder through perseverance and a dedication to the improvement of the court system.

He was first appointed to the bench in 1995 by then Governor George Pataki as a Judge of the New York Court of Claims and from 1996 to 2007, he served he served as the Chief Administrative Judge of all New York State Courts – the longest tenured person ever to serve in that position. In 2005, he was elected as a Justice of the Supreme Court for the Ninth Judicial District and went on to serve as an Associate Justice of the Appellate Term for the Ninth and Tenth Judicial Districts.

Chief Judge Lippman is a product of the New York City public school system and received his B.A. in Government and International Relations in 1965 from New York University where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and cum laude. In 1968, he received his J.D. from NYU School of Law; the same year he was admitted to the New York Bar. Among the numerous awards and honors presented to Chief Judge Lippman are the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence from the National Center for State Courts and the Cyrus R. Vance Tribute of the Fund for Modern Courts.

As the 2010 recipient of the AAJLJ Pursuit of Justice Award, Chief Judge Lippman joins the ranks of a distinguished group of jurists who have previously received this auspicious honor including United States Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader-Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer, both Clinton appointees, his predecessor as Chief Judge of the State of New York, the Honorable Judith S. Kaye who was the first woman to hold this position, Aharon Barak, the former president of the Supreme court of Israel, Nat Lewin, the legendary champion of First Amendment rights and civil liberties and Irwin Cotler, the former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.

Introducing Chief Judge LIppman was Harvard Law School graduate and retired Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals, Albert M. Rosenblatt. Judge Rosenblatt previously served as the District Attorney for Dutchess County from 1969-1975 and was a Dutchess County judge from 1976-1981. “Chief Judge Lippman is not only a true legal scholar and an astute analyst of the law, but he is someone who lives and breathes the words of the timeless and eternal biblical mandate, ‘Justice, Justice, thou shalt pursue’. This commandment enjoins us to zealously reach the pinnacle of justice and Judge Lippman has been in the forefront of spearheading of efforts to improve access to the courts for the general public and has aggressively sought out justice through his dedication to the reformation of the local court systems”, he said. He added that Judge Lippman is “someone who will not rest until the system is open and readily available to the poor and oppressed. And that means legal matters pertaining to a civil dispute, child support, foreclosures, debt and family oriented issues.”

Also addressing the gathering was Nathan Lewin, an attorney whose name is synonymous with Jewish causes and is the doyen of American Orthodox attorneys. Mr. Lewin has served as President of the Jewish Community Council of Greater Washington and for more than 30 years he served as the national vice president of the National Jewish Commission on Law and Public Affairs (COLPA). He is currently the Honorary President of The American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists and was president of the American Section of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists from 1992-1997. Mr. Lewin’s clients include Shalom Mordechai Rubashkin, the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, founder of the Jewish Defense League and the Kach political party in Israel, former President Richard Nixon, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, former Attorney General Edwin Meese, and actress Jodie Foster.

“There is no time in history where the pursuit of justice is more important than today,” intoned Mr. Lewin. “It is the obligation and duty of judges to decide legal matters based on what is right and not render decisions based on public opinion. Judge Lippman exemplifies such jurisprudence and for that and much more, he is most deserving of this award,” said Mr. Lewin.

During his acceptance speech Chief Judge Lippman spoke of his humble roots as “a young Jewish kid growing up on Manhattan’s lower east side”, recalling that as a youngster he remembered the local Jewish judges such as Sam Spiegel and Jack Markowitz. He went to say that his first legal job, over 40 years ago was as a legal assistant to the principal court attorney at 60 Centre Street. “It is my firm belief that justice and fairness begins at home and it is incumbent on our court system to make sense of the law for all people, irrespective of background and income. We must take upon ourselves what G-d has laid out for us as our mission and that is to help both rich and poor, both high and low, and to provide access to the justice system for everyone, especially the working poor who cannot afford legal counsel.”

Speaking of the paramount importance of civil legal services, Chief Judge Lippman noted that the Legal Aid system’s efficacy is sorely lacking. “For every case that Legal Aid takes, they turn away eight or nine equally valid cases”, he said. “It is our constitutional responsibility to provide justice for the most vulnerable among us and for that reason I have called for $25 million in legal funding from the state. For every dollar that we spend in legal services, we will also be helping the state”, he said. Citing the economic downturn and its deleterious effects on the poor, Judge Lippman said, “Today, those whose income levels have dropped dramatically are facing real concerns about fundamental necessities such as keeping the roof over their heads and we cannot allow these people to fall off the cliff”, he ruefully observed.

“The courts are the glue that hold our system together and for that I take my role as Chief Judge very seriously”, said Judge Lippman. “We must dedicate our lives to the lofty concept of ‘tikkun olam’ of healing the world and we do that by making our obligation to perform good deeds and enact mitzvos as our number one priority. Working together to pursue true justice must be our common objective as we actualize the Biblical mandate of “Tzedek, Tzedek Tirdof” which translates into “Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue.”

The magnificently crafted glass plaque with this biblical verse along with Judge Lippman’s name was designed specifically for this event and was made in Israel.

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Fern Sidman holds a B.A, in political science from Brooklyn College. She was the educational coordinator for the Betar Youth Movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She was national director of the Jewish Defense League from 1983-1985. She was a researcher for several books written by Rabbi Meir Kahane, ZTK”L. She was the managing editor of the publication entitled, The Voice of Judea, and is a regular contributor to its web site. She is currently a writer and journalist living in New York City. Her articles have appeared in The Jewish Press, The Jewish Advocate, The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, and numerous Jewish and general web sites including, Front Page Magazine, Daniel Pipes and Michael Freund.
We are delighted to have Ms. Sidman as a regular contributor to the Jesus is Lord, A Worshipping Christian’s Blog.

12.07.10

“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”

“The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.

Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.”

“The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.

Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.

And this morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.”

“As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph — so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.”

-President Franklin Roosevelt, Speech to Congress Requesting War be Declared on Japan, December 8th, 1941

We have seen this (and successfully fought it) here in Texas. Keep it fair, that’s all I ask.

Brigitte Gabriel, founder and president of ACT! for America, contends that publishers are teaming up with consultants who implement radical Islamic ideals into history and social studies textbooks. She explains that major publishers, such as Houghton Mifflin and Random House, Inc., permit affiliates of Islamic groups to write and produce textbooks that promote radical ideologies.

The terrorism expert tells OneNewsNow that a student at that academy was arrested for seeking to assassinate former President George W. Bush. Even so, a former teacher at that same school is counseling the publishers of Across the Centuries, a textbook used in middle schools that contains 55 pages on Islam, less than ten pages on Christianity and several pages on the Byzantine Empire.

“The chapter on Islam accounts for ten percent of the text, while Christianity and Judaism are almost entirely absent,” Gabriel points out. “This book is taught in every single public school across the United States, in every state and city.”

John Adams, our second U.S. president, famously observed: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

The U.S. Constitution, indeed our entire republican form of government, was crafted by deeply pious men who were overwhelmingly Christian. It was fashioned within the context and framework of the Judeo-Christian zeitgeist of the time and was further intended to function in harmony with a Judeo-Christian worldview – period. Though leftists may deny this reality, it remains indisputable fact. The historical record is unequivocal.

Patrick Henry said this: “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!”
George Washington agreed:

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and Citizens. … [R]eason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”

I’ll say it: I agree with George Washington. Those godless, postmodern secular-socialists, who, today, hold the reins of government, are unpatriotic. Fringe leftists like Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid seek to “subvert” Washington’s “great pillars” of “religion and morality” and are distinctly un-American for it.

Part and parcel of Obama’s agenda has been to push, at a fever pitch, the most extremist pro-abortion, pro-homosexual, anti-Christian agenda in American history.

Indeed, in contrast with the deeply held religious and moral values embraced by our Founding Fathers, today’s America is governed by an “immoral” and “irreligious” chief executive. Barack Obama is the high priest of secular-socialism.

He seeks to undermine – if not altogether dismantle – the American exceptionalism that, hitherto, has been fundamentally woven throughout our national fabric.

He aspires to the lowest common denominator. He seeks to uproot Ronald Reagan’s “shining city on a hill” and relocate the “land of the free and the home of the brave” to a much lower altitude, alongside those Euro-Marxist nations he so admires and wistfully desires to emulate.

The U.S. Constitution was neither intended to, nor can it, work in harmony with the postmodern secular-socialist worldview embraced by those on the political left. Such a worldview is, by its very nature, counter-constitutional.

Whereas the Constitution was intended to guarantee individual liberty and justice, limit the size and scope of the federal government and secure freedom of speech and religious expression; the goal of the secular-socialist is to control nearly every aspect of an individual’s life, to massively expand the size and scope of the federal government and to suppress – if not altogether smother – freedom of speech and religious expression.

To the secular-socialist, the Constitution is a relevant document only insofar as it constitutes an encumbrance to “progress.” It must be circumvented and overcome at all cost, and by any means available. Why else do you suppose President Obama has called our original “contract with America” – the U.S. Constitution – an “imperfect document,” a “living document … that reflects some deep flaws in American culture …”?

Rather than properly viewing our Constitution as a God-inspired tool to be used in furtherance of Washington’s “indispensable supports” of “religion and morality,” this arrogant little man, with singular resolve and discipline, forges ahead with his thinly veiled, yet wholly destructive left-wing political agenda: Namely, to “fundamentally change America” to reflect his own secular-socialist self-image.

You’ve heard it said, but I’ll say it again: People with conservative values – particularly Christians – need to take back America. We must take charge of government at every level from the municipal hall to the White House.

It’s time for men of the cloth – as they did during the first American Revolution – to exercise true leadership, return to the pulpit and call for national revival, both spiritual and political. As George Washington so astutely observed, the notion that political issues, and those of “religion and morality,” are somehow mutually exclusive, is patently absurd. They are one in the same.

Am I calling for a theocracy? Of course not. Am I calling for men and women of strong faith to retake control of all high-level positions of influence in government, academia, media and entertainment? Absolutely.

The late, great Rev. Jerry Falwell perhaps said it best: “I’m being accused of being controversial and political. I’m not political. But moral issues that become political, I still fight. It isn’t my fault that they’ve made these moral issues political. But because they have doesn’t stop the preachers of the Gospel from addressing them.”

Pastors, priests and rabbis: It’s up to you to address, head-on, these moral issues. Don’t be intimidated by anti-theist groups like the ACLU, American’s United for Separation of Church and State, People for the American Way and the like. These hard-left outfits engage in dishonest letter-writing schemes and file frivolous threats with the IRS in hopes of silencing you. Don’t be silenced.

Guess how many churches have been penalized, or have lost tax-exempt status due to even one of these complaints: Exactly zero. To call these groups “paper tigers” is too strong. They’re paper kittens.

Pastors: You have an absolute constitutional right, if not a duty, to stand at the pulpit and educate your flock about the hot-button political/moral issues of the day. You also have an absolute right to tell your flock exactly where candidates stand on these issues. You can even, as an individual, publicly endorse candidates. Most importantly, you have an absolute right to encourage parishioners to vote in accordance with their faith.

Biblical values must once again guide our political and cultural decisions and discourse, or tragically, this great American experiment – having survived longer than any governmental system in existence – may be at its twilight.

Still, I somehow doubt that the sun has set on this, the greatest nation on Earth. To borrow from a truly great president, Ronald Reagan, come Nov. 3, I suspect, instead, we’ll once again awaken to a bright new future. We’ll once again awaken to “morning in America.”

Christians: Make it happen.
Matt Barber is an attorney concentrating in constitutional law. He is author of the book “The Right Hook – From the Ring to the Culture War” and serves as Director of Cultural Affairs with Liberty Counsel. Send comments to Matt at jmattbarber@comcast.net / Facebook.com/jmattbarber / Twitter @jmattbarber (This information is provided for identification purposes only.)